The Type 99
main battle tank is a further
development of the
Type 98 MBT. It is generally similar to
the Type 98, but has a number of improvements. The Type 99 was
revealed in 2000 and entered service with the Chinese Army in 2001.
Only a limited number of these MBTs are operational
(approximately 200), because of the high unit price. This main
battle tank shows a mixture
of Russian and Western influence in its design and technology.

The Type 99
MBT features improved armor protection over the Type 98. Turret of
the Type 99 has a Leopard 2A5-style
wedge-shaped modular add-on explosive reactive armor. Damaged
sections to be replaced or upgraded when more advanced armor is
available. It is claimed that the front protection of the Type 99
MBT is equivalent to 1 000 - 1 200 mm of steel armor. Vehicle is
equipped with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems.

This main
battle tank is fitted with unique active laser protection system,
which uses a high-powered laser to disrupt missiles laser or
infrared guidance signal, disable enemy observation optics and
damage eyesight of enemy gunner. This active laser protection system
can also be used against helicopters.

The Type 99
tank is armed with a fully-stabilized ZPT98 125-mm smoothbore gun, fitted
with a carousel-type autoloader. Both the main gun and the
autoloader were copied from the Soviet/Russian designs. The Type 99
has a rate of fire in 8 rpm using autoloader and 1 - 2 rpm loading
manually. It fires APFSDS, HEAT and HE-FRAG rounds. It is reported
that this MBT also uses more capable APFSDS rounds with depleted
uranium penetrators.

The Type 99
main battle tank is compatible with Russian 9K119 Refleks (AT-11
Sniper) gun-launched anti-tank guided missiles, fired in the same
manner as ordinary projectiles. China produces this anti-tank
missile system under license. This missile has a maximum effective
range of 4 - 5 km and can target helicopters. Four AT-11 Sniper
missiles are carried.

The tank is
fitted with new computerized fire control system. It incorporates
laser rangefinder and automatic target tracker. This MBT can
engage moving targets accurately, while on the move. It has
a high first round hit probability against stationary and moving
targets, while the tank is firing on the move. tank is fitted with
advanced thermal imaging and panoramic sights, and has a
hunter-killer capability. Fire control system of this tank is
clearly superior to those, used by the Soviet
T-72
series tanks. It might even be superior to that, used by the Russian
T-90 MBT.

Unusual
feature for main battle tanks is a laser communication device. It is
mounted behind commander's hatch and is used for a line of sight
information transmission. It can send encrypted text, data or voice
messages. Furthermore it is used for friend or foe identification.
This system has an effective range of 3 600 m. Tank can also be
fitted with GPS receiver for navigation and positioning.

The Type 99
has a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver.

Hull of the
Type 99 MBT is very similar to the Soviet T-72,
but is one meter longer. Vehicle is powered by a
turbocharged diesel engine, developing 1 500 horsepower. This engine
is based on the German MTU 871 Ka-501 technology. The Type 99 has a
high power to weight ratio and subsequently good mobility and
cross-country performance. It is worth mentioning that the hull of
the Type 99 is very similar to that of the Soviet
T-72 main battle tank. External fuel tanks can be carried at the
rear of the hull for longer range.

Some of the
Type 99's technologies were used to upgrade Chinese
Type 96 main
battle tanks to the Type 96G standard.

Variants

Type 99A,
sometimes referred as Type 99G, Type 99A1 and Type 99A2. It has a number of improvements,
related with fire control, targeting and countermeasures systems. It
can be identified by autonomous commander thermal imaging viewer;

VT1A a
simplified version intended for export. It is in service with
Morocco, Peru, and possibly some other countries;

Armored
recovery vehicle fitted with a crane and a dozer blade. It was first
observed in 2014.